ITV Racing Tips: Real World can reward Marco Ghiani for Shergar Cup withdrawal
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The Shergar Cup gets the blanket treatment from ITV today when the unique jockeys’ event is the mainstay of the terrestrial coverage.
Perhaps not a fixture for the punters, owing to the varied abilities of the jockeys, it’s been a success with the public who make it one of Ascot’s most popular meetings.
Any doubts about the jockeys should be irrelevant this year with, owing to the pandemic, only one rider taking part who will be new to many, France’s Mickaelle Michel, and the rest all familiar names.
Michel, a former champion apprentice in France and a record breaker in Japan, should be very much at home in a Ladies team captained by Hayley Turner, the event’s winning-most jockey, on her British debut.
There is no Frankie Dettori, Oisin Murphy or William Buick among the participants, leaving this year’s renewal lacking some of the past razzamatazz, but it should still provide some entertainment over the day.
Serious punters may prefer to follow the three races being shown from Haydock and Newmarket, which include the Group 3 Sweet Solera Stakes.
They comprise a nine-race schedule on ITV4 which will have an earlier than usual 12.30 start time. We have previewed the three most significant races of the day in our ITV Racing Tips.
Wild Beauty and Sunstrike, second and third behind next year’s 1,000 Guineas favourite Inspiral, have a chance to give a boost to the prospects of the impressive winner of last month’s Star Stakes at Sandown. But while Wild Beauty may still have more to offer four runs into her career, there could be others ready to improve past her.
Value Theory looks like one of those. The Mark Johnston-trained filly made all the running to win her second start by clear daylight over course and distance last month under Joe Fanning. Fanning takes part in the Shergar Cup but his understudy Franny Norton is just as well equipped to take this prize from the front.
The closing event of the Shergar Cup features ten well-matched three-year-olds, including Dream Composer who is seeking his third win in six starts since he moved to England. Winless in France, he has thrived in the care of James Evans. Even better was his run at Royal Ascot, where he was making good late headway when finishing fourth behind Significantly in a 5f handicap.
Apprentices Ellie Mackenzie and Laura Pearson have been in the saddle for those performances so Evans should be heartened that Mickaelle Michel gets the ride, as Dream Composer clearly goes well for a woman.
Marco Ghiani had to pull out of the Shergar Cup to keep the ride on Real World, and that’s not surprising. The young Italian has been making a name for himself this year and Real World and trainer Saeed Bin Suroor have had a lot to do with that.
Ghiani recorded his first Royal Ascot victory on the Godolphin colt and followed that with his first Listed success on the same horse. Their latest win at Newbury was recorded with such authority that a hat-trick looks on the cards as they move up to Group 3 class.
ITV Racing Schedule, Saturday 7th August
12:50 Ascot – Shergar Cup Dash
13:25 Ascot – Shergar Cup Stayers
14:00 Ascot – Shergar Cup Challenge
14:25 Haydock – 1m handicap
14:35 Ascot – Shergar Cup Mile
14:50 Newmarket – Sweet Solera Stakes
15:10 Ascot – Shergar Cup Classic
15:45 Ascot – Shergar Cup Sprint
16:10 Haydock – Rose of Lancaster Stakes
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
